Using CAD scales for cross-cultural marketing

CAD (compliant, aggressive, detached) scales have been used in marketing research for many years, however, they have not been widely utilized in cross-cultural studies. International marketers can gain additional insight into market differences with this technique. CAD scales share cross-cultural application problems with all other attitudinal tests. While this methodology is far from perfect, it does provide the international marketer with an additional tool to enhance the understanding of cultural differences. To illustrate how this technique can be used, a study was performed. University students in China, Japan, and the United States were surveyed. The results of our comparisons suggest that Chinese students were higher on all three scales while the United States students tended to be more compliant than the Japanese sample, although all three samples were compliant. The United States sample was roughly equal to the Japanese in aggressiveness and detachment.